Lucky Day
by Maybelline1802
Summary: James is feeling lucky one morning. Who know's what will happen? CHAPTER 11 & 12 UP, AND COMPLETE! NEWTs and the leaving feast. R&R please!
1. Lucky Day

_Hey everyone…this is my first Harry Potter fanfic. I've only ever written fanfics on TV shows before. So no flames please, but some constructive criticism would be nice. _

**Disclaimer: I own no one. They are all J.K.'s toys. I just get to borrow them. **

James Potter woke early that morning. He could feel something good was going to happen. He just knew it. It was barely 6:00, and the 7th year boy's dormitory was still dark. He got up quietly and got dressed in his Quidditch practice robes. He tiptoed out of the dormitory, and out to the broom shed.

"Alohomora!" he tapped the doorknob. It clicked, and he went inside to retrieve his broom. With his broom over his shoulder, he walked out to the Quidditch pitch, which was illuminated in the pale light given off by the sky, which had a pinky purple dusting on the eastern horizon. The grass was dewy and James's shoes were beginning to feel wet.

He mounted his broom and took off, feeling the wind in his hair and on his face. He flew for over an hour, playing with the snitch he'd stolen the previous year. Finally, hot and hungry, he returned to the ground, stuffed the snitch in his pocket, and put his broom away.

He walked into the Great Hall for breakfast early for a Saturday. Glancing around, he saw only 5 students. A Ravenclaw first year, pouring over a book; a few Hufflepuffs eating in silence; and a gorgeous, green eyed Gryffindor.

Lily Evans was just the person he wanted to see.

"Hi Lily," he said softly, standing beside the table.

She looked up from her book, "Oh! Hi, James. You startled me. "

"Can – can I sit here?" he stammered.

"I suppose."

James sat down next to Lily. They'd been on much friendlier terms ever since he gave up picking on random students, and kept his hexing to Snivellus – only when Lily was out of sight.

"What do you want?" She asked suspiciously after he'd begun to pile his plate with toast and eggs without saying a word.

He paused; thinking of what would be a good excuse. "Just felt like eating breakfast early, and I didn't want to sit alone."

"Oh." She said, and went back to her book, occasionally taking a bite of her toast. Finally, after reading the same paragraph 3 times without taking any of it in, she turned to James. "Look, I've been meaning to talk to you. I'm…I'm sorry for being so mean to you before."

"Evans – I mean Lily," It was still strange to feel her name on his tongue. "I deserved it. We both know I did. I have an overly large ego…you told me so every time I spoke to you for 5 years."

"Well…I suppose. But still, we belong to the same house. I should have been civil towards you at the very least."

"Yeah, you should have!" he teased. Just then, 3 voices broke the otherwise quiet of the Great Hall.

"Hey Prongs!" called Sirius loudly. Remus and Peter followed behind him.

"Hey," he said, reluctant to have his conversation with Lily come to an end. It was going so well…

"We couldn't find you, and we were worrying where you were!" squeaked Peter, who had always been small for his age.

"YOU were worrying about him, Wormtail." Sirius growled at the small boy.

"Playing Quidditch?" Remus said, changing the subject.

"Yes. It was really cold this morning."

"I see…"

Lily got up and started to walk away, "Hey Evans!" James called after her.

She turned, "What?" she asked, her cheeks burning.

"Hogsmeade visit this weekend. You want to go?" he called, sounding bolder than he felt.

"Give it up, Prongs, she's never going to say yes," Sirius muttered under his breath.

Lily hesitated. "Sure," she finally said, "Why not?" and she walked out of the Great Hall, smiling to herself.

James turned to his three friends who were staring in shock.

"What…was…that…?" Remus asked slowly.

"I just asked Lily out, and she said yes," James said, not quite believing it himself.

"Way to go Prongs!" Sirius said patting him on the back. James ruffled his hair, unbelieving of how lucky he'd just gotten.

_R&R please…tell me if I should continue it. If not, well it was a good one shot. Thanx! Maybelline_


	2. Hogsmede

Thanks for the encouragement **LilyotValley86 **and **Tiffany**! It means a lot :) I hope you like this next chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own no one, just the plot and unfamiliar characters, blah blah, you know the drill :) **

The week that passed before the Hogsmeade trip was unbearable long for James. He couldn't wait to go with Lily; and his classes felt like years. Every time he saw here in the halls, or in the Gryffindor common room, he smiled at her. They didn't talk much, but there would be plenty of time for that.

On the morning of the visit, James got up early, had a shower, and even attempted to make his hair lie flat. That was a failed attempt. Exasperated, he gave up and went down to breakfast with Sirius, Remus and Peter. Peter was talking a mile a minute asking questions about Lily, and what they would do on during the trip.

"Shut UP, Wormtail!" Sirius said finally, as the questions finally got to him. Remus opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again, knowing nothing he could say would change the way Sirius and James treated Wormtail.

"Look, there she is!" James whispered as they arrived in the Great Hall. Lily had white flowers weaved into the long braid that trailed down her back. Wormtail's mouth hung open, and he nearly tripped over the Hufflepuff table. James walked over to her, and sat down. The bench was almost entirely empty to her left. Her best friend Leala was to her right, and they were giggling quietly. The marauders sat down to James' left.

"Oh hi, James," she said smiling at him. He smiled nervously back, and she blushed.

"Hi," James replied, helping himself to some toast. Remus and Sirius sniggered beside him. He shot them a look.

They ate in a nervous silence. Leala had left to join some of her other friends, and the rest of the marauders slid down the bench, putting a good 3 feet between James and themselves. With distance between himself and his friends, James realized exactly how close he and Lily were sitting. She caught him looking at her, and giggled nervously. He smiled, and felt his ears go red. Wow. Was this ever awkward.

Finally the meal was over, and they joined the rest of the students emptying the Great Hall into the grounds. They walked together into the line up, where the caretaker, Apollyon Pringle was checking names off his list of students with permission. They walked the road into Hogsmeade.

When they'd put some distance between themselves and other students, James finally attempted speech. "Hey… um… err…" It was a failed attempt. Luckily, Lily didn't laugh.

"So, what do you want to do?" She asked, as if his pathetic show of intelligence had never existed.

"Well, how about Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop?" he asked, hoping that she'd say no.

Lily looked like she was about to really laugh this time, but she didn't. "Sure, I guess."

They walked down the main road, and entered the cramped shop full of incense. There were already a few Hogwarts couples in there, a few sipping tea, but most of the making eyes at each other, and two couples making out in the back corner. James navigated to what looked like a safe table by the window. Lily and he sat down, and the pink patterned teapot in the middle of the table started to whistle softly, as if it had been waiting for them to arrive. Two teacups flew from the opposite corner of the shop where the kitchen was, and fell with a clatter onto their table. The teapot poured them some steaming orange tea. James looked at it in disgust. Lily laughed.

"I HATE tea," she said, hoping James wasn't offended.

"So do I," he said, feeling incredibly stupid. Why had he suggested this stupid place anyways? "Why don't we get away from this place and go for a walk?"

"Yes!" Lily said, standing up abruptly. They hurried out of the shop, accidentally bumping into a couple making out. James turned to say sorry, but stopped. That couple looked strangely familiar.

"Leala? Sirius?" Lily asked. She looked shocked, "You never told me that you two…"

Leala was biting her lip. Sirius was staring at the floor. "Well THIS is interesting." James said, breaking the awkward silence. "Well, we'll leave you to it I suppose… Let's go Lily."

"Yes. Yes, let's go." She said glaring at Leala. They exited the shop. "I CAN'T _BELIEVE_ IT!" Lily burst when the door had shut behind them. People on the streets stopped to look at them. James was furious too.

"Our best friends!" he said angrily, although with slightly less gusto then Lily. "I can't wait to get my hands on him," he growled.

"Me neither. Leala is going to _die_," Lily said looking hurt, "We tell each other everything."

"Let's go for a walk." James said. He held out his hand to her. Hesitating for a moment, she took it, and they walked off down the street, happy and talking about the best way to punish their friends for not telling them of their secret romance.

* * *

Later that day, James and Lily were playing chess in the common room. They had spent the rest of the day together, and after having exhausted methods of punishing Sirius and Leala, they went into The 3 Broomsticks, and talked over Butterbeer. James treated. 

After a depressing loss – Lily was an _excellent_ chess player – Lily and James got up and left the common room to go for a walk.

They walked around the lake, talking and admiring the gorgeous sunset. It was all pink and orange, a dusky glaze across the sky. They sat down under the big tree by the lake, James' arms around Lily's shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder. They watched the owls begin to come out to hunt as the sun drifted below the horizon. James tipped her chin up gently with his fingers. He looked into those emerald eyes, and she smiled a very small smile. Their faces came close together, and their lips brushed each other for a brief moment that suspended the two of them in time, and when they finally separated, there was an understanding that the two of them were meant to be together.

_Well, that's chapter two…hope you like. I'll post more soon if you want it. It's up to you, my loyal readers _:P _Maybelline_


	3. Prophecy

_Thanks to **LilyotValley86**, **Tiffany**, **brunettebabe**, and **Emily **for reviewing. This chapter's for you guys! _

**Disclaimer: I own no one, just the plot and unfamiliar characters, blah blah, you know the drill :) **

The weeks past, and Lily and James turned a deaf ear to the rumours and whispers. People were shocked to find that their favourite pair of enemies had done a complete turnaround and were now sweethearts. They basked in each other's attention, and savoured every touch.

One afternoon after classes, James and Lily were walking quickly, hand in hand down a 4th floor corridor. James pushed open the door and…

Sirius had his hand up Leala's shirt, and they were making out with Leala lying across one of the desks. They ducked out of the room, suppressing laughter, and set off in search of another empty classroom.

Once they'd found a classroom, tongues danced and hands flew. Things were just starting to get out of hand, when they were interrupted.

"Well well well…!" said a kind yet surprised voice they recognized at once to be Dumbledore's. They shot apart and adjusted their clothing. James tried in a failed attempt to smooth his hair. Dumbledore ignored their state. "I was told I could find Lily here. I have an assignment for the Head Girl and Boy. Come with me please." And Dumbledore left the room.

Lily gave James an apologetic glance as she followed Dumbledore out of the room. James was left feeling deserted and extremely embarrassed. He waited a moment, and then left the room to hunt down Sirius and tease him to the 9th degree about Leala.

He finally found Sirius in the common room with Remus, who was forcing Sirius to go over his Potions essay. Professor Slughorn had assigned them an essay on the uses of dragon components in antidotes. Sirius was looking aggravated and kept staring into the fire. James slumped into a chair by his friends, and gazed into the fire with Sirius.

"Looking glum there, Prongs," Remus said, as Sirius was clearly in another world.

"Oh, it's nothing… well, something, I suppose," James muttered.

"Well, are you going to indulge us?" Sirius said, snapping back into the real world.

"Dumbledore walked in on Lily and me… Lily left for some Head Girl duty with Dumbledore. Dunno what that was all about though."

"DUMBLEDORE walked in on you?" Remus said, his mouth hanging open.

"Well, yes," James said as the others gaped at him, "He didn't seem to mind very much though…" he trailed off thoughtfully. The group began to discuss different possibilities and meanings of this bizarre event.

* * *

Dumbledore paced his office. It was nearly midnight, and he was reviewing the events of the day. Something very strange had happened. This something that was the beginning of a prophecy that was being fulfilled. He was happy, but concerned at the same time. It was too early… it can't happen yet, that would be a danger to everyone in the wizarding world. There wasn't enough time… Dumbledore continued to pace as the night wore on.

* * *

LilyEvans lay awake in her dormitory, Leala snoring loudly next to her. Sounds outside were muffled slightly by the hangings on her 4 poster bed. She could not stop thinking about James. When she finally drifted off to sleep, she had a very strange dream.

_"Lily, RUN!" James hollered as a crash echoed throughout the house. He himself was running through the big house. He looked older, and his handsome features were beginning to wear away. Frown lines creased his face, and he looked frightened. _

_Lily looked around her, and ran into the room down the hall. She looked around her and recognized it as a nursery. A crib was on the opposite side of the room. She was strangely drawn to it, and when she peered in, there was a tiny baby with black hair and green eyes lying in the crib. She scooped him up, unable to leave him behind. As she turned to leave, a green blast illuminated the hallway. _

_She heard a man's voice yell in pain, and footsteps on the stairs, down the hall…coming closer. She stood there, petrified. A tall man in a dark cloak, a hood covering his horrible face in shadow swept into the room. Lily screamed…_

"Lily! Lily!" Leala's voice brought her back to life as she pushed aside the hangings. "Are you ok?"

"What happened?" Lily said, horrified. The entire dormitory was awake. She realized she was sweating.

"You screamed… and kept screaming," Leala told her hesitantly.

"It was just a bad dream," Lily told her quietly, "A really bad dream."

"Ok then…" Leala said as she went back to her bed. "I'm going to try to get some more sleep." Lily glanced at her watch and saw that it was indeed 4:00 am. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep again. So rather than try, she threw her feet over her bed and left the dormitory, still in her nightgown. She went down to the common room to sit by the fire, and was surprised to see that James was already there. She paused, and proceeded to walk over to James and sit on the crimson sofa beside him.

He looked startled for a moment. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked.

"I had a – a nightmare," she sounded frightened.

"Are you ok?" he asked, taking her hand. She put her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her gently. It seemed so natural, so easy, like he'd been with her all his life. A wet, hot stain spread on the shoulder of his pyjamas. He looked at her pretty head in shock. She was crying.

"Lily, what's wrong?" he was concerned. What dream could be this bad?

She sniffed, feeling ashamed. Should she tell him? It was kind of weird though… she prayed it wouldn't scare him, and then she told him. "I had a dream that we – we were living together. You Know Who came and killed us in our house. We had a baby." She finished, looking up at him, her eyes wet and big.

He looked at her shocked. Finally in a desperate attempt to comfort her, he said, "Lily, don't worry. Everything will be ok. It was just a dream."

"But what if it comes true? We'll all die. You'll die," Lily said, "I can't live with that."

"You won't have to, because it won't happen," he said firmly.

"You didn't dream it. It was like it _was_ the future," she argued.

"That's ok. I love you," he said, for the first time in their relationship. Lily looked him in the eyes, studying his face, "I'll take any risk to be with you. Don't worry."

"I love you too," she said, tearing up again. She kissed him.

Suddenly, he had an idea. "Come with me," he said getting up and holding out his hand. She took it, and up they went to the 7th floor. He walked past a section of wall 3 times, and then there was a handle in the wall. He opened it, and there was a beautiful room, a king sized bed at the centre. The room was furnished in crimson and royal blue. Candles cast a warm, romantic glow all around the enchanting room. Lily suddenly knew why they were there, and kissed him again in a wordless consent.

Sparks flew in the best night of their lives, and the prophecy was beginning to slip into effect.

_Well, that's chapter three…What I post is completely up to what gets typed after the magic purple button is pressed!_ _Maybelline_


	4. Fulfillment

_Thanks to _**_Lady Gwynevere_**_and** Emily** for reviewing chapter 3._

**Disclaimer: These are JK's characters, settings, etc. If I owned them, I would be in a tropical climate, as a result of my richness. **

A tingle in the air woke Dumbledore from his otherwise sound sleep. He sat up in bed and extended his senses into the night. Something magical was happening. Something of amazing power was happening. This sort of magical shock had not been felt in Hogwarts for hundreds of years.

He got out of bed quickly and dressed in a hurry. With a flick of his wand, his bed transformed back into his desk, and the office rearranged itself. He swept silently out of the office.

Through the empty halls of Hogwarts he strode, as he climbed stairs, he felt the tingle in the air growing stronger. It was definitely in this direction. He arrived on the 7th floor, and the tingle had grown to a buzz. Suddenly he was hit with an understanding: The prophecy! It had been fulfilled!

Now, this prophecy was an immensely delicate thing. Sybil Trelawney had made an important prediction at the beginning of this year. Dumbledore foolishly had tried to ignore it; as he hoped it would not come to pass. But it had.

Sybil had predicted that two powerful forces that had spent countless time and energy opposing each other would eventually unite to create the most powerful force against evil that the wizarding world had ever seen. Once this force was created, a great climax would occur, setting the world of wizards and muggles alike balancing on a knife's edge. The future of the two worlds would depend on this single, powerful force.

Exactly was this force was, Dumbledore was unsure of. But he knew that it was too soon for it to happen. Not in Hogwarts. This fulfillment was putting Hogwarts at risk of attack by Voldemort. The only truly safe place was in danger. He could not let this happen.

* * *

Lily and James quietly exited the Room of Requirement. They needed to get back to their dormitories before anyone noticed they were gone. Lily noticed a faint buzz in the air, but ignored it as James whispered into her ear how beautiful she was. She giggled foolishly and blushed. The pair heard footsteps from the corridor. They pressed themselves against the wall, hoping and praying that they wouldn't be seen.

It was Dumbledore. A look of comprehension dawned on his face. Lily looked ready to die of embarrassment, and James looked mortified. "Come with me," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, Professor Sir, I was just taking Lily to show her something, and –" James began to babble instantly. Dumbledore remained silent as he swept down stairs and through corridors. Lily made a whimpering noise and clutched James' hand. She couldn't be expelled! She just couldn't! She still had the rest of her 7th year! She'd worked so hard…

The arrived at Dumbledore's office. "Chocolate frog," Dumbledore said gravely, and the gargoyle sprung aside. Up the spiral staircase they went in silence.

"Please sit down. I have something of importance to discuss with you." Dumbledore said, pointing to two large and squashy armchairs. They sat obediently. Dumbledore pulled up the chair on the other side of the desk and sat in silence for a moment, the tips of his long fingers pressed together as he thought. The only sound was the fake snores of the witches and wizards in the portraits on the walls.

Suddenly he spoke, "Recently, I was informed of a prophecy that had been made," he began, "And I have reason to believe that it concerns the two of you."

Lily and James glanced nervously at each other.

"I need to know what you two have been doing. You telling me concerns people's lives. I ask nothing but your complete honesty." He looked at them, his eyes piercing. Lily blushed furiously and stared at her feet, and James ruffled his hair absently. Dumbledore waited.

"Well, Dumbledore sir, we, um…"James trailed off, too embarrassed to tell him. He looked Dumbledore straight in the eyes, and suddenly, Dumbledore knew. Dumbledore stood up suddenly, frightening Lily, who had not seen the exchange between Dumbledore and James.

"Lily, I want you to go to the hospital wing, straight away. I will be with you in a moment. James, I need to discuss something with you." Lily practically ran from the room.

Lily hurried down the hallway, close to tears. A thousand dreadful thoughts ran through her head. She didn't understand any of this. One minute, she was so happy with James. The next, she was in danger of being expelled. And why to the hospital wing? She went there obediently, but she didn't know why. The tears began to fall as she arrived there, and Madam Pomfrey hurried over to her.

"What's wrong dear?" she asked, concerned.

"I – I'm not sure." She replied truthfully, "Dumbledore will be here in a moment," she informed her as tears rolled down her face. Madam Pomfrey led her to a bed and sat her down.

Several painfully slow minutes later, Dumbledore arrived in the hospital wing, with James following closely behind him. He looked embarrassed, but said nothing. Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore left the room to discuss something in her office.

"I love you, Lily. I hope you know that," James said hurriedly, as though he didn't know how much time they had.

"I love you too," she said through her tears, "And I think I know what this is about," she said.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, a little more sharply than he intended.

Lily frowned at him. "Remember my dream?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Dumbledore thinks so too." He said softly.

"Oh, oh this is bad!" Lily said wringing her hands. James put his arm around her, talking softly to her. Dumbledore watched them from Madam Pomfrey's office.

"I need you to check for me. We must be certain." He said to her, before exiting the room.

Madam Pomfrey rummaged around in a locked cupboard. She pulled out a dusty old bottle. Thank goodness it had not had to have been used in many years. She checked its contents and read the instructions before pouring a generous amount into a plastic cup. She offered it to Lily.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Just drink it," Madam Pomfrey said softly. They all watched as Lily swallowed the contents. She coughed, and then slowly, her skin began to turn blue.

"What is this?" she gasped. James looked thoroughly puzzled.

Dumbledore spoke. "Miss Evans, it is my regret to inform you that you are pregnant."

_Oooh. Whatever will happen next? Haha, reply and you might find out! _

_Maybelline_


	5. Proposal

_No one reviewed chapter 4! Goes off and cries silently in a corner. Well, tis ok, so I shall now give you another chappie, however unresponsive you all are. I'm joking! Oh, I'm looking for a beta, if anyone would like to, leave an email addy and message and I'll get back to you! _

**Disclaimer: Well, again, I own the unfamiliar characters only. This is a non profit fan fiction. :P**

The blue colour faded from Lily's skin as she began to cry. James looked dumbfounded. He was in shock. This couldn't be happening! They still had 6 months of school to get through! What were their parents going to say…?

"What's going to happen now?" James asked no one in particular.

"Well, Miss. Evans will have the choice to continue here at school, regardless of her choice of whether to have the baby or not," Dumbledore said, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm having it!" Lily blurted through her tears.

"This isn't a decision to be treated rashly; you should discuss it with your parents first before you –"

"I'm having it!" she said insistently through gritted teeth. She got up, and stalked out of the hospital wing. She needed time to deal with this. She was 17. She still had 6 months in Hogwarts left. This could NOT be happening to her! She was Head Girl! What an example this would be setting to everyone.

Lily's mind was spinning in a million different directions. What would her parents think? She might not have to tell them… she devised a clever scheme in her mind. She could go through the six months left at school and then, without seeing her parents, she could live with James, if he still wanted to speak to her. Leala was a second option…

She shook her head to clear it. Of course she would tell her parents! What kind of idiot wouldn't! Her thoughts were broken by the footfalls of someone running down the corridor. It was James. She turned the corner and ducked into a secret passageway that would make the walk to Gryffindor tower shorter. She couldn't talk to James right now. She just needed to sleep.

The Fat Lady was sleeping when she got to the portrait. Lily yelled "Pickled radish!" to wake her up, tear stains fresh on the young witch's face. The Fat Lady swung open, refraining from her usual barrage of questions and scolding. She crept up to her dormitory, and slid into bed. Her tears began to fall again as she slipped into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

James ran down the corridor, watching Lily's gorgeous hair swish on her back. She rounded the corner, and he sped up, but when he got there, the corridor was empty except for a big tapestry and a suit of armour. Its head turned toward him with a creak. He kicked it hard, frustrated that he lost Lily. He needed to tell her that he still loved her, and that he'd do anything for her and the baby.

* * *

Lily was aroused from her sleep by Leala shaking her. "Come on!" she said, "You missed breakfast! We have Transfiguration in 10 minutes!"

Lily considered going, but then she knew she couldn't. "I'm not going," she mumbled, rolling over.

"What is WRONG with you?" Leala asked her. Lily had never missed a class before simply for some more sleep. Lily didn't answer her. Leala glanced at her watch and ran from the room. She wasn't going to be late for strict McGonagall's class.

She arrived with the bell and slid into a desk at the front of the room. Lily's desk beside her was empty. She glanced around the room, and noticed that James' desk was empty too. His friends were all there though, so it clearly wasn't for mischief.

Once McGonagall had the class working on Conjuring large objects, Leala approached her desk. "Professor, I think that there is something wrong with Lily," she said softly.

"What?" McGonagall said sharply, looking up from her papers. Lily told her about the morning's events. She looked concerned, but stayed at her desk. "Check on her before your next class please. If she's still sleeping tell her I said to get to her next class. If she won't, please come see me." McGonagall scribbled a quick note giving her permission to be late for her next class, and they went back to work.

* * *

James snuck back to his dormitory right after breakfast. He grabbed the Marauder's Map from Sirius' trunk and his own Invisibility Cloak, and then crept down the hall. He reached the statue of the humpback witch without any trouble, and ran into Hogsmeade via Honeydukes. He strolled down the streets, his cloak under his arm, until he found the shop he wanted. A sign over top of the door proclaimed _Piazolla's Foreign Finds_ in swirling lettering. He pushed open the door.

An eerie glow filled the shop, and he peered into the cluttered glass showcases. Finally, he found what he was looking for and bought it, emptying his money pouch of his yearly allowance. That was it, no more Hogsmeade trips for him. He sighed, but knew that this was worth it.

He snuck back into the castle, and was back in time for his next class, Charms. When he got there, he noticed that Lily wasn't there. 'Strange…' he thought, 'well, I suppose not, considering the circumstances…' Sirius told him that Lily wasn't in Transfiguration either, and Lupin slipped him the homework.

* * *

"Go… away…"Lily groaned, swatting at a figure in an emerald green cloak that was leaning over her.

"Up we get," said the softened voice of the usually strict McGonagall as she pulled the covers gently off Lily.

"Didn't Dumbledore tell you?" Lily said groggily as she tried to adjust her eyes to the light.

"Tell me what," McGonagall said, thinking she was simply humouring the sleepy Miss. Evans.

"Tell you that I was pre –" she started, but realized that Leala was there too, looking concerned. "Oh, never mind. I was doing some stuff for him last night, and I didn't get to bed until late. He gave me permission to miss my morning classes today." She hoped that her feeble excuse would work on McGonagall.

"I would have expected a better excuse from you Miss. Evans." Darn, the excuse didn't work.

"Let's go up to the hospital wing, shall we?" McGonagall said, helping Lily to her feet.

Lily got annoyed at this, as she was awake now. "I'm NOT sick. I don't need to go to the hospital wing. I am not skipping out classes. Well, I am, but I have a good excuse."

Leala and McGonagall just looked at her. "Well, if it is none of these things, then why don't you tell me what it is?" McGonagall demanded, noting that she did not look ill, "Leala," she said, realizing that maybe there was more to this that the other girl needed to know, "could you please give us a minute?"

Leala nodded, and walked out of the dormitory. Lily sat on the bed, and looked up at McGonagall, whose thin mouth was an indicator of how close to the end of her patience she was getting.

Lily took a deep breath. "Well?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm. I'm… I'm pregnant," she said very, very softly, looking down at her knobbly knees. Goosebumps covered her body, but not because she was cold. She was so scared.

"Ok, we need to see the headmaster," McGonagall said, realizing that his was a little out of her league.

"No we don't!" Lily said sharply. "I mean, he already knows." Lily explained.

"Well… I still think that we need to go see him. I have no proof, or no reason why you should be missing classes."

Lily was shocked. No proof! "You don't believe me!"

"Well, Miss. Evans, you have to understand," McGonagall began, "You are our Head Girl. How likely was this to happen?" Lily didn't respond. "I thought so. Let's go. Get dressed; I will wait for you outside."

Lily got dressed, and McGonagall and she walked in silence down the corridors to Dumbledore's office. "Chocolate Frog," she said, and the gargoyle sprang aside.

"To what do I owe this honour, Minerva?" Dumbledore said as she entered his office. Lily stepped out from behind Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore smiled at her.

"Miss. Evans has told me a ludicrous tale as to why she is skipping her classes today."

"Well, if it is the same tale I'm thinking of, then it is indeed true, however ludicrous," he said mildly, even though he was very concerned about this. The poor girl…

"She told me that she is pregnant, Professor!" McGonagall said, indeed looking quite crazy.

"Yes, yes, that is the same tale that I was thinking of," he said gravely.

McGonagall looked shocked, "But that still doesn't give her an excuse to miss classes!" she recovered.

"Well, I believe that one day of missed classes would be alright, considering the circumstances," Dumbledore said, giving Lily a penetrating look.

Finally, Lily knew what her decision was to be. "I'm going to stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the year, Professors. I want to keep this as secret as possible, so as not to ruin the reputation of this school. I made a foolish mistake, and now I am paying for it," she finally voiced the thought that had been chasing its way around her mind for the past day.

Dumbledore nodded, "That seems to be a good idea. You must return to your classes tomorrow. Simply say that you were ill, and there should be no problem with your teachers." He nodded towards the door, "You may go. Minerva, may I have a word please?" And Lily left, grateful of how well that went. She walked slowly along the corridor. She heard hurried footsteps behind her; McGonagall had caught up with her. She continued walking in silence with the teacher.

* * *

Coincidentally, James was walking down the corridor just around the corner. He rounded it, and saw Lily, feeling the small box in his pocket. He walked up to her, and she averted her eyes. He knew what he was going to do, despite the teacher being there. He got down on one knee, and said, "Lily, will you marry me?"

_Whatever will Lily say? Sorry for the jumping between characters in this chapter, I hope it's clear enough. Some reviews for this one please! Ineed to know what you think so I can write the story for what you'd like. It's my loyal readers thatmatter:PThanx, Maybelline_


	6. Acceptance

_I'm still looking for a beta, so if anyone would like to, leave an email addy and message and I'll get back to you! _

_Thanx to _**FadedRose **_for reviewing._

_And to _**Zippy-Wings**, _that chapter was getting a little longer than I like to make them, so I figured a good cliffy was in order!_

_For_** Emily**_, you are my most faithful reader and reviewer, so I will answer all of your questions in this chapter. Hope you like! _

**Disclaimer: Ok, if you've gotten this far, you can read the disclaimer on the other chappies. **

A shocked Lily looked down at James, who was looking up at her desperately. There was something familiar in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. McGonagall stood back, shocked herself, but something that could resemble a smile was playing on her thin lips. Of course Lily would say yes.

Lily's pause was a bit too long for James though. He got up off his knee, his face falling. Lily didn't look happy; quite the contrary to be honest. She burst into tears, and ran off down the corridor.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked McGonagall who was still standing there.

"She's only 17. She's just received the biggest shock of her life. Give it time." She responded slightly cryptically.

A very confused and very sad James walked around McGonagall and onwards in the other direction. 'I can't believe it. I thought for sure she'd say yes!' he thought sadly. He continued down the hallways, not entirely sure where he was going. He found himself outside the library.

"What is this?" a voice behind him asked, "Dear Prongs going to the _library_?" James sighed and turned around. Remus was coming up behind him, a pile of books in his arms.

"I'm not going to the library," he said with a sigh, "I was just walking."

"Wow. You look depressed." Remus said.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," James said crankily.

"What happened? Are you and Lily ok?" he said, taking a good guess.

"No," James said softly, "She turned me down."

"Turned you down for what? I thought you were going out?"

"I asked her to marry me," he said in all seriousness looking up at his friend.

"Prongs, what has gotten into you! Why would you do a thing like that!"

Stunned, James realized he hadn't told his friends that Lily was pregnant. He decided to tell Remus first, because he could trust his reaction to be better that Sirius'. "Lily's pregnant," he began, and proceeded to tell Remus the entire story.

Remus looked shocked. He was at a loss for words. "Wow," was all he could say. "And she turned you down?" he asked after a long pause. "She said no?"

"Well, not those exact words… but yeah, pretty much."

"What did she say?"

"Well… nothing. She ran away crying."

"She might not have meant no…" Remus began.

"What do you suppose she meant then?"

"I'm no expert!" Remus said exasperatedly. "Are you going to tell Sirius?" he asked after a brief moment of silence.

"Yeah, he's my best friend. I just need to find time."

"Now's as good a time as ever," Remus said, nodding his head in Sirius' direction. "Well, here goes nothing…"

* * *

Lily pasted herself against the wall, breathing hard from the shock. She certainly didn't handle THAT well… of course she wanted to marry James! She loved him! She just didn't know if he still wanted to be with her… but now she knew he did. She was going to find him. She wiped away her tears of shock – she'd been crying a lot lately – and went off to find him.

As she neared the library, she heard a roar. "YOU KNOCKED LILY UP?" it was Sirius Black. Her breath caught in her throat. No doubt the whole school knew now… just as she turned to leave, James stalked around the corner. He looked furious. In his rage, he stomped right past her.

"James!" she grabbed the sleeve of his robes.

His eyes widened. "Lily, I – didn't mean – it's Sirius – I'm sorry… no one was supposed to know." He finished lamely.

"Shh…" she said, putting a finger to his lips. "It's ok. There's nothing we can do about it."

He looked shocked. Was this the girl that had just shot him down? "It's ok?"

"Yes. James, will _you_ marry _me_?" she said looking into his eyes.

James fumbled the ring out of his pocket and slipped it gently onto Lily's finger. It was real gold, with a teeny emerald on it. "It matches your eyes," he said softly. Then, he said, "Lily, I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"It's ok. I know it wasn't supposed to happen. Do you think I wanted to have a baby at 17?"

"18." He mumbled.

"What?"

"You'll be 18. So will I."

"At least we'll be legal," she said with a small smile. She had an idea. "James, the damage has been done… do you want to go back to the Room of Requirement for awhile?"

"We'll miss our next class –"

"Since when have you cared? The damage has been done," she grabbed his hand, and off they went to the 7th floor.

_Ok, so it was a little short, and the ending was a little cheesy. Hope you liked it anyways! And she said yes for you, _**Emily**_! Thanx, Maybelline_


	7. Reactions

_To _**mookiemoooo**_, I can try to make the chappies longer, but I can't guarantee it. My ideas just seem to fit nicely into chapters. Besides, if the chapters are shorter, I can update faster! Thanx for saying that you love my story, that's so awesome. _

**Zippy-Wings**, _I hope I updated fast enough for you_ :)

**Emily**_, you'll find out in this chapter what happens when other people start to find out. Hope you like!_

_To _**Tanya J Potter**, _that's a good point. I boo boo-ed, ha ha. Let's just say that he looked older because of trying to provide for his family, and from work in the Order of the Phoenix. Does that work? Thanx for pointing that out! Chocolate chip cookies to you!_

_Last but not least, to _**Leha**_, that's a good point too. I've heard that before, but failed to consider it when I was writing. My only excuse would be…it's magic!

* * *

_

A much happier Lily could be found around the school in the days that followed. She was procrastinating about telling her parents, but she figured that with Sirius' outburst, that they'd find out soon enough. She was dreading their response.

However, she didn't have to wait long to find out what their response was. A mere two days after Sirius had exploded outside the library, her owl – a tawny that she'd named Anjelita in her second year – arrived with a bright red envelope. She was sitting with James when Anjelita dropped the Howler in her Cheerios.

"I think they found out," James whispered in her ear. Lily grabbed it and sprinted as far away from the Great Hall as she could get. She'd made it several corridors away before the Howler exploded, singeing her fingertips. She dropped it with a yelp as her mother's voice filled the hall. How her mother had managed to send her a Howler, she didn't know. They were muggles!

"**I THOUGHT THAT WE'D RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT, LILY EVANS! I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN WE HEARD THE HORRIBLE NEWS! MY DAUGHTER, A KNOCKED UP LITTLE SLUT? YOU CAN FORGET COMING BACK TO OUR HOME AGAIN! IT IS NO LONGER YOURS! YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN WAY NOW!" **

Lily fell to her knees as the Howler shrivelled into ashes, and began to cry. She'd been kicked out! Of her own home! Wouldn't Petunia be happy now…

She felt James kneel down beside her, and put his arms around her. He held her as she cried. "Shh…" he murmured, "It'll be ok. I'll take care of you. You can come live with me, and I'll take care of you."

* * *

Back in the Great Hall, distant strains of Lily's Howler could be heard. Everyone in the Hall was silent as the listened to the Howler. The Hall began to buzz with the news that their Head Girl was pregnant. They'd heard rumours, but now it was evident that the rumours were true. Those who had met Lily were shocked. She was such a nice person! She was a good girl; not one to get herself pregnant. The school all knew now… and they were shocked. Had this ever happened at Hogwarts before?

Sirius slid down in his seat, ashamed that he'd been the one to bring this about. He knew it. Peter patted him on the shoulder, "It'll be ok, mate."

He shrugged off his friend's gentle touch. He suddenly got up and went in search of Lily so that he could apologize; something that Sirius had never thought he'd be doing.

He found Lily and James huddled in the middle of a corridor on the main floor. Lily was crying. Very slowly, he backed away, not wanting to disturb them. But then something in the back of his mind prodded him forward, and he knew he had to say it now.

"Lily," he said softly. She was startled, and stopped crying. She and James both turned, and suddenly Sirius wished he hadn't chosen to do this.

"I –" he faltered.

"Spit it out, Padfoot," James said.

"I'msorryLilyforcausingallthattroublecouldyoupleaseforgiveme?" he said in a rush, deeply embarrassed.

There was a pause where Sirius was afraid that she'd get mad at him. But no. She simply nodded, and James got up and helped her up off the floor.

Remus, Peter and Leala were waiting in the common room when the trio arrived back at Gryffindor tower. Leala jumped up the moment they portrait hole opened.

"I cannot BELIEVE that you never TOLD me!" Leala fumed, "I thought we were best friends," she added, an undertone in her voice suggesting that she was hurt.

Lily hugged her friend, "I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone. It just… got out. I never really discussed that it should be a secret from James," she said, her voice shaking. "And now, my mom's kicked me out. Thank Merlin I'm 17 and legal now…"

* * *

In the days that followed, Lily received a cold shoulder from the student body. They treated her as if she was dirty; younger students shied away from her in the hallway, and older students stared openly. Few people talked to her. The teachers did nothing to prevent this, as they felt that she was getting what she deserved. A few parents wrote in, suggesting that she be stripped of her Head Girl status, and many teachers agreed. Dumbledore stubbornly refused to do that, as he felt that she needed to keep something in balance in the poor girl's life.

James and the rest of the marauders felt this was wrong, and did everything in their power to prevent it. Sirius and James proceeded to hex anyone who spoke ill of Lily and Peter attempted to follow suit, although his aim was terrible. More than once he managed to hex Remus, who was trying desperately to stay out of trouble. He did do all he could with the power of words, and managed to say some very evil things to one 5th year before he was caught by Professor Slughorn, and lost 10 points from Gryffindor.

Teachers stopped calling on Lily in classes, and indeed, after a week of being treated like filth, she became invisible. She wasn't sure which she preferred. The only bright side to all of this was that she still had her small but fiercely loyal group of friends. The marauders had informally inducted Leala and herself into their group of mischief. Leala jumped at the idea of being included in pranks, but Lily was more reluctant. Eventually, she did join in, and it became a release of energy for her.

Lily had so many ideas for the little group that James and Sirius were dumbfounded. One night after Lily had gone to bed and Remus, Peter and Leala were in the library, James and Sirius were discussing this in a far corner of the room, their History of Magic homework abandoned.

"I can't believe Lily," Sirius said to James as he dropped his quill in frustration.

"She's had more ideas for us in the last week that we've had all month!" James said, following suit.

"Well, it's not exactly as if you've been a huge help James. You've been a little bit preoccupied with your oversized, lovesick head in the clouds."

The friends chuckled. "At least you know that you're nothing without me!" James laughed.

"Seriously though, Lily should have been a marauder from the beginning," Sirius said as the laughter died. "Too bad she hated our guts… your guts," he corrected himself.

"Her prank on Snivellus was great though!" James said, remembering when Lily had expertly changed the text in Severus' much loved potion book. Severus had been so confused when his potion had turned pink and began spitting heart shaped fireworks. Major embarrassment for him!

"Yeah, I've never seen Snivellus so revolted at himself. It was superb!"

"All those little hearts!" the two broke out laughing again. Just then, Peter came into the common room looking lost.

"Alone again, dear Wormtail?" Sirius asked, choking on his laughter.

"Where's Moony and Leala?" James asked as his laughter became manageable.

"They're still in the library. Moony gave me his antidotes essay," Peter said holding it up, looking confused. "He told me to go away."

Sirius and James looked at each other before cracking up again. "Now why would anyone say that?" Sirius asked sarcastically in between gasps.

Peter looked genuinely confused, "I don't know…" he said thoughtfully.

The pair just laughed harder. Finally, James got up and began packing up his unfinished 1678 dragon trade essay. Sirius followed suit, and the three friends went up to their room together, all of them wondering what old Moony was up to with Lily's best friend.

* * *

Valentines Day drew nearer, and the cold winter weather began to lessen. The Marauders spent more time outside, bewitching wet, sloppy snowballs to fly at the two girls that had been hanging out with them more and more. They retaliated expertly, for Lily was not the Head Girl for nothing. She somehow managed to bring a snow cannon to life, which shot snowballs at the unsuspecting boys with ease.

Remus and Leala spent more and more time in the library… or rather, out of the Gryffindor common room. Lily became less tense about everything. She was accepting the fact that she was pregnant, and it wasn't that bad, except for the mornings. She was frequently late for her first class and often missed breakfast. James provided her with ample cold toast and orange juice that he snuck into class in his book bag. She was very grateful, because by the time lunch rolled around, she was starving.

The effect of lack of food and morning sickness took a relevant effect on the young girl. She was thinner in the face and her hands looked brittle – the only parts of her she showed these days – and appeared pale a great deal of the time. She brushed it off when James said that she looked ill. Teachers were piling on more homework, desperate to cover everything as the NEWTs drew nearer. She accounted her fragility to stress whenever James brought it up.

"Hey beautiful," James whispered as Lily slid into her seat in Transfiguration the day before Valentines Day. He handed her a granola bar and a juice box, which she accepted gratefully, but didn't touch. She was still feeling nauseous. James had a concerned look on his face.  
"I'm fine," she shrugged it off as she slid the food into her book bag and took out her books. McGonagall ignored her lateness.

"Guess what!" James whispered.

"What," Lily asked with a sigh.

"No! Guess!"

She sighed heavily before suggesting, "You fell off your broomstick and got eaten by Hagrid's most recent monster."

He looked shocked for a moment. "I'm still here, so I wasn't eaten!" he recovered. "Fine, I'll tell you, as you're so un-eager to guess. I have a surprise for you. Tomorrow!" he grinned.

Valentines Day! Lily mentally kicked herself. How could she have forgotten! "I have a surprise for you too," she lied seductively. Now what was she going to do?

"Oh, I can't wait," he whispered.

"Evans, Potter, _enough_! Please pay attention!" McGonagall's angry voice sounded from the front of the room. They sat straight in their seats, and she continued on with the lesson.

"What AM I going to do about this?" Lily asked Leala later that day. "I told him I had a surprise for him!"

Leala looked thoughtful. "I have an idea!" she said suddenly. She leaned closer to whisper it to her friend.

_That's all for now, folks! I just thought I'd update before I went to bed, and as it is nearly 1:00 am, I think it is high time I went to catch some ZZZZZ's. Hope you like the chapter! R&R please. Thanx! Maybelline_


	8. Surprises

_Ok, I just realized that the Emily's that have been replying have been two separate Emily's. Sorry for that you guys! I'll give you separate mentions from here on. _

**emily**_, she's definitely going to get the back with some pranks. And if you read on, you shall find out what their surprises are!_

_To _**mookiemoooo**_, yay! Another great chappie…you're just too kind! Haha. :) And to the answer to Lily and James' baby… well it could be Harry, and it might not be Harry. You'll find out soon enough. _

**Emily**_, James' parents' reactions will be found out in later chapters. As to Leala and Remus…read on! _

**Tanya J Potter**_, you're very welcome for the chocolate chip cookies. They're my specialty! Haha. Thanx for the review!_

**Zippy-Wings**_, you're welcome for the chappie :) here's the next one!_

_And now, on to the next fabulous chapter…_

Lily and Leala worked quietly in the girls' dormitory after classes were over. Their homework abandoned, they focused all of their energy on the surprise for James. Lily was so sure he'd love it.

* * *

Little did they know, but James was secretly scrambling as well. While he had the plans for his surprise all laid out, he hadn't actually finalized them. He and Sirius were running madly around the school to finalize the magic plans. He couldn't wait to show Lily. Remus helped too, and between him and Peter, they had James' homework done. They would make Sirius do his own, because he was just along with James to get out of his own homework. Remus had his own private chuckle over Sirius' coming reaction.

* * *

"You know," Leala said to Lily as she tinkered with a small piece of James' gift, "This was a brilliant idea. He'll never guess. He's probably thinking that you're going to get him something girly and overly mushy."

The girls laughed, "Well, this way I can prove to him that I care about what he loves too," Lily said rationally. She prodded a piece with her wand, and began to put it together.

"I still can't believe you managed to conjure everything," Leala commented, handing Lily another piece.

"Well, I did practice a lot…" Lily said modestly.

"You're only the cleverest witch in our year," her friend complimented her, with a slight bit of sarcasm.

"Well, that doesn't take much!" Lily joked, "Look at the dummies we've got in our year!" the laughed, knowing full well how untrue this was. James, Sirius and Remus – not to mention Leala herself – provided ample competition. And that was just in Gryffindor!

"Done!" Lily exclaimed, putting the finishing touches on the gift. "Let's try it out, shall we?" she suggested.

"You know nothing about Quidditch!" Leala laughed. "Let me do it." Leala prodded the miniature model of a Quidditch pitch with her wand. Players began to move around it, a Quaffle being passed between three Chasers, dressed in scarlet robes. A tiny player clad in green got hit with a miniature black Bludger.

"Watch," Lily said. She prodded the stadium, and the players in green changed into canary yellow robes.

"That's great!" Leala giggled, "Our little Quidditch captain is going to love it!" The girls enjoyed the fact that the gift was finished, and put it carefully into a box that Lily had conjured. For good secrecy measures, she wrapped it in pink paper with little hearts that blinked.

"Our homework!" Leala suddenly remembered. She glanced at her watch. It was already 10:00. "Crap," she muttered.

Lily pulled out her books, and ran down into the common room. "Follow me," she said.

Remus and Peter were still up, James checking over his essay with a grin. Sirius looked downright furious.

"Why would you do his homework and not mine?" he whined in a very un – Sirius like way. As soon as he saw the girls however, he became more dignified.

"Remus," Lily said sweetly, "Do you think that you could help Leala and I with our essays? We're so very tired, and we've got to get up early. We've been working so hard." She finished, with a pointed look at James. Remus, thankfully, got the message.

"I see," he said, "Come here," he patted the couch beside him. Sirius' face contorted with fury, but he kept his mouth shut. He turned to James, and together they began to write Sirius' essay.

* * *

The next morning, Lily awoke thankfully feeling fine. She dressed in her robes, running her hands gently over her still perfectly flat stomach. She sighed, thinking of what it would be like all too soon. She wove her hair quickly into a loose plait, and pushed a real white lily into it. She grabbed her books, and went down to breakfast.

James was surprised to see her there. He pushed Peter into Remus to make room for the girl of his dreams. Peter whined, and Remus just rolled his eyes and slid further down the bench. Lily sat down beside him with a smile.

James accidentally put his elbow into his bacon as he looked at her stunning beauty. 'She is even more radiant than usual today,' he thought. She did look better. Her face was becoming rounder again, and she didn't look sick. The large circles under her eyes were receding, and she looked happier.

"I can't wait for your surprise," she said as she sat down and helped herself to the first warm piece of toast she'd had in a long time. She grinned as she took her first bite, as the hot toast was an almost foreign feeling. James stared at her. She was so cute.

Lily caught him staring. "What?" she asked with a tinkly laugh.

He shook his head, "Nothing." He said quickly.

She looked at him suspiciously.

"You're just so beautiful," he caved. Sirius snorted apple juice into his eggs. Lily ignored Sirius, and proceeded to eat the rest of her hot meal in silence.

* * *

After the last class of the day – Potions with the Slytherins – James caught up with Lily. Finally he could surprise her! He covered her eyes. "Guess who?" James said in the deepest voice he could conjure, hoping she'd get it wrong. She laughed and pushed his hand away.

"Sirius," she joked.

James pretended to be hurt. "I'm appalled! Maybe you won't get your surprise after all," he pouted.

"Oh come off it," she said lightly.

"Come on let's go then!" he said eagerly.

"Whoa there, I still have to drop off my books, and get YOUR surprise," she said with a smile.

"Ok, ok." He put his hands up in mock surrender.

They laughed and went their separate directions. When she came down from the dormitory with her big pink box, Sirius was waiting there, all dressed up in a muggle tux. He looked slightly unhappy about being dressed like that, but nevertheless, he was there.

"Shall I escort you to your – er – surprise?" he asked in a formal tone.

Remus whipped out his wand, and pointed it at her. She was worried for a moment, but then realized she was wearing a sparkling dress of the palest green. Tied around the neck, the low scoop back was more revealing that anything Lily had ever owned. It showed off her perfect stomach, and swept right down to her feet, which were now clad in small, sparkling heels of the same colour as the dress.

"This is beautiful!" she said, twirling a little. She went to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, only to find that her hair was pulled into a gorgeous up-do, and there were curly strands brushing her face. "Thank you," she said to Remus.

He blushed, amazed at how well the spell had gone, "It was nothing…" he muttered modestly.

"He looked through muggle magazines," Sirius said, smiling at the beautiful Lily. He indicated his own outfit. "James thought it would be entertaining to dress me in a suit fit for a wedding.

They all laughed. Sirius regained his stately manner, and offered Lily his arm. "Madam, your… er… your James awaits."

She took his arm with a small giggle. They went off down the halls, up to the 7th floor. Lily was very aware of the stares she was getting. As they reached a now familiar hallway, Sirius let go of her arm, and walked, as if pacing, in front of a small section of wall. Finally, a handle appeared, and he opened the door for her. She stepped inside.

"Thanks Padfoot!" James' voice sounded from inside the room. It was furnished the exact same way as the last time they were here, except instead of a bed; there was a small table with candles and an empty vase.

Lily clapped her hand to her mouth. James stepped out from the shadows at the back of the room, and offered her a huge bouquet of very red roses. She took them and put them in the vase on the table. She was fighting the urge to grin like a maniac. This was fabulous! She looked again at James.

He was dressed in a suit similar to Sirius', only he'd taken off the jacket. He was dressed in black, with a white tuxedo shirt, and a black bow tie. Typical James style, the bow tie was crooked, and his hair was a mess. She loved the effort anyways. He spent the time gawking at her. "You're gorgeous," he breathed.

"Thanks," she joked, "You didn't notice before?"

They smiled, and James pulled the chair out for her. She suddenly remembered the box. She thrust it into his arms before sitting down.

James was appalled by the wrapping paper, yet he didn't show it. He opened it carefully, hoping this pleased the radiant Lily. He pulled off the top –

"It's a Quidditch stadium!" he exclaimed, "Just like the one in Quality Quidditch Supplies!" he moaned. They both knew he'd wanted it, but it was so many Galleons…

"You couldn't have bought that! It's way too expensive!"

She grinned and blushed. "I made it. Well, Leala and I," she corrected herself modestly.

"Wow! It's amazing!" he said. He laid it on the floor and began to poke at it, making the players zoom around the stadium. Lily cleared her throat. However pleased she was that he loved her gift, she was not the type to sit and stare at miniature Quidditch models.

"So sorry," he said, getting up off the floor, looking slightly embarrassed. He sat down. After dinging a tiny bell on the table, two house elves ran in carrying trays. There were tiny cakes, and rose petal tea – Lily's favourite.

"This is so sweet!" she said, taking a tiny cake off the tray before it was laid to rest on the table. "Thank you!" she said to the elves as they bowed out of the room."

The pair began to eat and talk, James amusing them both by sipping tea with his middle finger stuck out, and dabbing at his mouth with a cream linen handkerchief. Finally it was time to go. James looked at his watch, and to the surprise of both of them, they'd been in the room for nearly 3 hours.

They walked arm in arm back to Gryffindor tower. They talked and laughed, and James had the lurid pink box under one arm. He couldn't wait to show his team all of the strategies he'd come up with.

When they clambered into the common room, they were surprised to find it nearly empty, except for Peter in the centre of the room, pouring over a thick book and muttering to himself.

"Where is everyone?" James asked him.

"They left me to do my homework alone," Pettigrew squeaked.

"Ah, well. It's about time they did that," he muttered. "Where are they?" he asked again.

"I don't know…" Peter said, wringing his hands.

James let out a heavy sigh. "Where's Leala?" Lily asked, although she already suspected what the answer would be.

"With Remus," he said matter of factly. He had ducked his head back into the book, and didn't see Lily and James' reactions. They stood there open mouthed.

"Studying, by any chance?" Lily asked weakly.

"No, no I don't think so," Peter said vaguely.

"Alright then…" James said. "I think I'm going to bed," he said, he kissed Lily lightly, and started towards the stairs. Lily grabbed him by the sleeve.

"I don't think so," she said. "We have homework, and NEWT's coming up."

He sighed, but turned around anyways. "Accio books!" he said, and moments later, there was a crash, and 3 books came hurtling down the Boys' stairwell. Lily went up to get hers, and then they set to work.

Just as they were finishing up their work – and Peter's too – Remus and Leala came bursting into the common room, flushed and giggling. Yes, Remus was giggling. (A/N: I apologize, but I am REALLY tired… if you don't like that Remus is giggling, then… ignore it please!)

They stood there looking at each other across the room.

"Well, I guess that's out now," Remus said, unnecessarily smoothing his robes.

_That's all for now, folks. You may not get another update for about 2 weeks, as I am going on vacation, and I won't have access to a computer… I'm terribly sorry about that. I would like to thank my fantastic beta reader Emily for her fabulous editing. That's all for now, chocolate chip cookies to all! Maybelline_


	9. Arrangements

_Ok, this chapter takes place a little while after Valentine's Day… about two months afterwards. So, if you've been following, this puts us approximately 3 months into Lily's pregnancy._

_To _**Emily**_, you're very welcome for the comment. The editing was fabuloso!_

_To _**emily**_, I shall have a great time on vacation. This chapter might make it before I leave. _

**Zippy-Wings**_, thanx for the review, and you're welcome for the cookies!

* * *

_

As Easter drew nearer, James was contemplating his parents' invitation to bring Lily home for the long weekend. He very much wanted to, and then they could discuss a living arrangement for at least until the two of them turned 18. James, while still pranking, was settling down a little more. It was now more important than ever that he passed his NEWT's and got a good job.

* * *

The Sunday before Easter weekend, Lily was found thumbing through a catalogue with Leala, looking for bigger robes. She didn't want to make her stomach obvious, as it was beginning to bulge slightly underneath her robes. She'd kissed her flat stomach good-bye about 2 weeks ago.

"Oh! What about these ones?" Leala pointed to a pair of pale green robes. "They'd match your eyes!" Lily looked longingly at the transfigured dress in her closet. It didn't fit her anymore. The robes appeared to be the exact same colour. She was now, however, one set of robes short, and it really made a difference in her laundry schedule.

"No, I don't think so…" Lily said flipping the page. "I just need new Hogwarts robes. In bigger sizes." She added afterwards.

They ended up ordering 3 new pairs of robes for Lily. They sent it off with Anjelita, and went down into the common room. The boys were already there, poking and prodding the miniature Quidditch stadium. It had gotten a lot of use in the past two months. Lily noticed though, that James had a completed pile of homework to his left. She smiled to herself, proud of him.

"Hey," Leala said, sitting herself down.

"There's our Seeker!" said James excitedly. He pointed at a diving figure on the pitch. "I want to go over some tactics with you before our match after Easter." Leala agreed, and they set a time for later that week. James then got up.

"Lily, I need to talk to you," He muttered as he walked past her. She followed him, slightly worried. These words were never good.

He took a breath, as if deciding something.

'Oh goodness… this is it,' Lily thought. Finally –

"Lily, do you want to come home with me for Easter?" he asked. Her eyes widened, and she grinned.

"Of course!" she said with a huge smile. "Your parents don't mind?" she added, her face adopting a worried look.

"Well…" he said. "Sort of. But it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. They are annoyed that I would do this to anyone, you know… get them pregnant," he blushed, "But they said they'd love to have you in their home. It proves to them that I'm taking responsibility."

Before this, the pair hadn't discussed living arrangements after Hogwarts. Lily had always hoped that James would take care of it, even though she knew she'd have to face it some day very soon.

"So, is this like… a trial? To see if they like me?" she asked with concern weighing heavily on each word.

"No! Of course not! This has nothing to do with that!" James reassured her, shocked that she would be concerned about something like that.

"Ok…" she said. She turned to go back to the group, but then whipped around, almost hitting James, who was following her. "Thank you," she said softly, "For everything."

* * *

That Friday, classes were over at noon. Lily had packed her robes the day before; her new ones had come in. After finding out about meeting James' parents, she had ordered the pale green robes that Leala had suggested, sending the order with a school owl. Anjelita had arrived on Thursday with a bulging package, and Lily had excitedly torn them open. They were all loose still, but she knew that they wouldn't be before long.

Lily met James in the common room a half hour after classes were over. She had a small bag that contained everything she would need for the weekend. She was wearing the green robes, and James thought she looked stunning. His own duffle bag in hand, they checked out with Professor McGonagall, and walked down to Hogsmeade. Lily wanted to pick something up for his parents before they apparated to James' house.

"What do they like?" she asked, as they entered a china shop just off of High Street.

"Mum's favourite colour is purple," James said as they walked slowly through the shop. "Dad likes… well, Dad could care less about china. He's more of a trinket person. He likes things that whir and spin; flashy sort of things."

They passed a beautiful purple vase just as they were leaving. Luckily, it was cheap, and Lily bought it. It was stunning, with tiny painted animals walking through; pausing to eat grass, or leaping and chasing after butterflies and birds. When Lily was pleased with her purchase – 1 galleon, 6 sickles – they set off to a hobby shop down the street.

They entered the cramped, musty shop and were greeted with light glancing off of every surface. There was a loud whirring, as if many helicopters were flying in the distance. It was silent under the whirring, and their footfalls were loud. In a case right near the front, a tiny silver instrument was puffing smoke. A little card beside it read:

_Dream Catcher: This newly developed instrument will catch the dreams of whoever's in the room, and interpret them in clear colour pictures. Watch as it puffs your dreams into the air. _

Indeed, this tiny instrument was puffing a family photo into the air, everyone smiling and happy. Lily and James were grinning at a tiny baby, with everyone's parents all around. Lily blushed as she recognized her dream of everyone smiling and being happy; even Petunia was in the picture, cooing at the baby.

James put his arm around Lily, as if to say he liked the dream. A Quidditch match had just begun to form as they walked away through the cramped shelves. "You know," said James, "That Dream Catcher thing is exactly the sort of thing my dad collects. Go check the price," he said as he admired a tiny silver stabilizer for his broomstick.

'Not bad!' Lily thought as she peered at the cramped price in the bottom corner. '1 galleon, 10 sickles,' it read. She pulled it out from behind the glass and paid for it.

The pair left Hogsmeade out the side of the village away from Hogwarts. As soon as they were out of sight, they apparated. Lily was holding onto James, as she wasn't quite sure where she was going.

They arrived in a wooded area just outside of Godric's Hollow. It was a beautiful place, with a splashing brook to their left that snaked through the woods. Leafy green trees provided plenty of shade, and Lily shivered in the cool spring air. James took her hand, and they walked out of the forest.

As soon as the tree cover vanished behind them, Lily beheld a mighty sight. A huge manor rose up from the land about a half kilometre away from them. Gardens painted the landscape, and a huge, high hedge concealed a Quidditch pitch. The Potter's lived in an area inhabited by Muggles, but wanted to live a normal wizarding life. As a result, James had grown up playing Quidditch, casting simple spells, and brewing potions.

They strolled slowly up to the manor, enjoying the scenery. James pointed things out to Lily as they walked. He showed her the tree he'd fallen out of when he was 8, and had broken his arm. He showed her the flowers he'd planted with his mother when he was 6. He gave her a peek inside the mighty hedge, to see the six Quidditch hoops that were indeed shorter than normal.

As they reached the house – if you could call it a house – they saw two figures dressed in robes of deep mauve and bottle green. James' mother, a gorgeous witch with long, black hair swept first James into a hug, and then Lily.

"How wonderful that you could come, my dear!" she exclaimed as she held the nervous Lily at arms length to admire her.

"Oh, thank you for having me to stay," Lily said, applying the manners that her parents had drilled into her.

"Nonsense, it's our pleasure," James' father said, reaching out to shake her hand. He was a rather small, skinny man with deep, smoky eyes and unruly dirty blond hair that looked as though he'd just gotten off of a broomstick. She shook his hand firmly, and he seemed pleased with her grip.

"Let's not just stand here!" said Mrs. Potter. She offered to take Lily's bag, but Lily shook her head.

"No, thank you Mrs. Potter," she said politely.

"Oh, Mrs. Potter sounds so old," she scowled, "Please, call me Mya."

"Ok, Mya," Lily tried out the name shyly.

They showed her to the guest room where she was to stay. James had offered to let her stay in his room, but Lily had declined. She wanted as much privacy as possible in the few days she had to explore this family.

That night at dinner she presented them with their gifts. They were both delighted with them, and Mr. Potter had even taken Lily into his study to show her his collection of whirring objects. They all seemed to serve a useful purpose.

"Thank you, m'dear," he boomed as he set the trinket on his desk.

* * *

The entire stay went rather well. On their last night there, a subject came up that James had managed to avoid the entire visit.

"So where do you plan to go after Hogwarts?" Mya asked Lily, unaware of the in depth conversation she was inviting to the table.

"Well, my mother's requested that I don't return to the house afterwards," she said, trying to keep it as light as possible, "So I'm not really all that sure where I want to go. I was hoping to become an Auror… but I think that the baby will put my plans on hold." She told them honestly.

The Potters seemed shocked that she'd been kicked out. Apparently, James hadn't told them. "Where are you going to live, my dear?" Mya recovered.

"Well," James interrupted, "I was going to ask you if well… if we could maybe stay with you for awhile. Just until we get onto our own two feet," he added hurriedly, so not to imply that they would live there forever.

"Most certainly!" Mr. Potter answered without hesitation or second thought. He immediately went into planning. "We could turn the entire second floor into a living area just for you! Or, perhaps you would prefer the third… yes, more light and less interruption from the rest of the house…" he began to mutter indistinctly to himself.

"Yes dear, of course you can stay with us!" Mya confirmed Mr. Potter's decision.

James was shocked at his parents' sudden agreeability, but didn't comment. He merely said a polite, 'Thank-you,' before returning to his ham.

After the house-elf, Skittle, had cleaned up, James and Lily went upstairs to get their bags. _(A/N: I was stumped for house-elf names, so Skittle is what you get! I love Skittles… mmmm…)_ They said their good-byes, and off the pair went, back into the woods across the darkening grounds. The smoky sky presented dusk in its finest, and was a perfect back drop for Lily's last look at the Potter manor before disappearing into the woods and apparating back to Hogwarts.

_Well, that is the last chapter before my holidays. I got the chapter back from my fantastic beta early, so I've posted it early. Hope you liked! Maybelline_


	10. Quidditch

**_I dedicate this chappie to my fantastical beta, Emily. My chappies would not be the same without you! Thanks. _**

_To _**Zippy-Wings**_, I'm sorry for no chocolate chip cookies… it's too hot to bake them right now… 32 degrees is hot for where I live! I was all happy when I got your review right after I published it. It was really cool!_

**emily**_, glad you like the house-elf name. I couldn't let the Potter's abandon Lily and James as well!_

_And now, on to the chapter!

* * *

_

It was now May, and exams were coming frighteningly close. Lily was feeling the strain of her pregnancy, and of the coming exams. The marauders studied together, in a big group by the fire. As Head Girl, Lily found herself putting dibs on the fire area for her friends. They practised their spells and potion brewing together, and quizzed each other on theory. Lily was exempt from being the dummy for the practical section, and was thankful; some of the spells were going horribly wrong with the pressure of getting it right.

"No!" Peter whined as he'd successfully given James Sirius' ears. Sirius was currently ear less, and James' ears were on Peter's book.

"You've done it wrong again, Wormtail," James grumbled, tugging at Sirius' ear.

"Ouch!" Sirius said, rubbing the side of his head, "What's going on?" he asked.

"Wormtail transplanted your ears, where've _you_ been?" Remus laughed at his earless friend.

"What?" Sirius said loudly.

"HE SAID, WORMTAIL TRANSPLANTED YOUR EARS!" Leala yelled. People in the common room were starting to look over. A timid looking group of first years scurried out the portrait hole.

"WHAT?"

"I don't think he can hear!" Lily and Leala collapsed into giggles.

Remus scribbled down what he'd said, his writing shaky with his laughter. He showed the deaf Sirius, and Sirius went red and got to his feet, pulling his wand out, and pointing it at the quivering Peter. "YOU!" he roared, unable to hear himself. Lily put her finger to her lips, and he saw, and dropped his voice to a deadly whisper, "you."

Lily and Leala grabbed Sirius from behind as he thought of the best hex to use on Peter. They fell backwards onto the couch. "FIX IT!" Sirius hollered, lying across Leala's lap. He'd avoided Lily as best he could, but her knee was digging into his back. Peter was already feverishly looking up something, anything that could fix it.

Remus, who was enjoying the scene, decided that it was probably time to reverse the badly done spell before Sirius killed Peter. He flicked his wand, and the ears returned to their owners in a twinkle of blue light. With the situation resolved, Sirius and James started laughing until finally the entire group was rolling around laughing, including Peter.

After the laughter died down, they went back to work, trying to make up for the lost time caused by Peter's incompetence. Finally though – after 3 more messed up spells, one in which he somehow transplanted Lily's feet onto a book, which tried to scuttle away – he managed to perform it properly. The group applauded him, and he went furiously red, ducking his head into his book.

* * *

Lily and James spent every chance they got – when they weren't studying – walking around the grounds, or simply talking in a corner of the common room. Knowing that the future was coming up fast, they spent a lot of time figuring out what they were going to do. Life outside of Hogwarts was dark and dangerous. Death Eaters were killing more and more often. People were disappearing left and right, and no one knew who to trust anymore. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff distanced themselves from the Slytherins even more than they normally did. Frightened of the many students whose parents were known Death Eaters, the school was standing divided. It was horrible, and Dumbledore knew it; teachers knew it; students knew it.

* * *

One day at the beginning of June, the sleep deprived 7th years received good news for their studying, but horrible news for the rest of the world. Classes were cancelled for them today, as Dumbledore and many of the teachers were forced to leave the school to do important – and secret – work against You–Know–Who. The school was panicking. Were things really this bad in the outside world? 

The marauders spent the day on the sunny grounds discussing what had happened. They had their books spread around them, but no one could concentrate on revision.

"I think that Voldemort's been captured, and they're going to kill him!" Peter voiced one of his theories.

"Don't be a prat, Wormtail," Sirius said, "No one could capture Voldemort. And if they did, don't you think it would be all over the papers?" Lily and James exchanged a nervous glance, and Lily rubbed her stomach, which was beginning to bulge.

"Well, maybe they HAVE, but the ministry doesn't want to make fools of themselves before he's REALLY gone," Remus said thoughtfully.

"It's a possibility," Leala said, agreeing with Remus. She had her head in his lap, and he was leaning against a big oak.

"So," Lily said, picking up a book. She was bored of the subject. "Who knows the 12 uses of dragon blood?" she asked. It was a basic question, and everyone started listing them off. Peter looked worried though, and listened to what others were saying, and nervously repeated them.

Lily laughed at the almost indistinguishable response. "I believe that's them all…oh, you missed one. It can also be used to enhance memory." She said. She was, of course, joking, but Peter didn't quite get it. He started counting off uses on his fingers while the rest of the group roared with laughter.

* * *

The NEWT's were just around the corner. So was the Quidditch Final. It was Gryffindor against Slytherin. The teams were currently tied point for point. It promised to be an exciting match. James had the team training hard, and Lily spent many nights in the common room with just Remus and Peter; the rest of the group were training. 

"Nice catch, Leala!" James called across the pitch, as Leala had just gone into a spectacular dive to catch the little Golden Snitch.

"Thanks!" she called back, slightly breathless from her dive.

"Great, she's caught it, can we go in now?" Sirius grumbled as he whacked a Bludger at James.

He ducked, and threw the Quaffle at fellow Chaser, Molly Prewett. She caught it and sped towards the goalpost, not quite getting it past May McKinnon, who was playing Keeper.

"I reckon we're good for the match tomorrow, hey James?" she called, flying towards him with the Quaffle.

"Yes, I suppose," James said wistfully. He clearly wanted to continue practice. Reluctantly, he led the team back to the ground. Sirius and Ryan Bones – the other Beater – wrestled the Bludgers back into the case. Leala bound the Snitch, and May dropped the Quaffle in. They talked excitedly about the match tomorrow. They were all flying well.

After showering, they went back into the common room, where they attempted to revise, although they didn't get very far. Tension was running high as everyone in the common room discussed Quidditch. When James called for the team to go to bed, Lily went too, exhausted from another day's hard work, made worse by a sore back and feet.

* * *

James woke up early on the morning of the Quidditch match. He'd had a rough sleep the night before. Nightmare's about Lily; about the baby, and about the match. Deciding to do something he often did when he woke early, he got up, go dressed, and headed out to the Quidditch pitch. 

Several laps gave him an idea of the flying conditions. The sun was going to be bright; it was going to be hot. No wind – as of yet – was good for passing and scoring. The bright sunlight could be bad for Leala as the Seeker, and could impair the vision of all the players.

He landed, feeling sufficiently woken up, and headed into a hot shower. He joined the rest of his team, slightly late, at the breakfast table. Nervous as anything, no one ate. Well, Remus and Lily ate. Wormtail was too nervous for the rest of the team that he couldn't eat either. Not that it was bad for him, as Sirius pointed out. "He's not exactly in top shape!"

John Shaker, the other Chaser, finally noticed Dumbledore get up and leave the staff table. He pointed it out to James, and the entire team stood up with him. The Gryffindor table applauded the team as they filed out of the hall. The Slytherins followed them, their own house hooting and banging their feet.

"Better watch out," Slytherin captain, Lyle Flint, hollered to the Gryffindor team. His attempts at intimidation were not working on the veteran team. They were all used to the taunts, having been part of the team for at least two years now.

"Alright," James said as he and the rest of the team checked over their brooms. Sirius was noisily clipping a few stray tail twigs. James cleared his throat and he stopped. "This is it. This is for many of us, the last chance to win this cup. We won it last year, and I know we can do it again." He looked around at his fellow 7th years; Molly, Leala and Sirius. They smiled weakly at him, very nervous.

"Now," he said, standing up. "Let's go kick some serious Slytherin butt!" The team applauded James, and they all wished each other good luck. Shouldering their brooms, they marched out onto the pitch. Ravenclaw Christina Munson was commentating.

"Gryffindor has a good side this year; the same side as last year that won them the Quidditch Cup. We've seen Slytherin fly well this year, and this promises to be an exciting match." She began naming the players on each team, pointing them out with their positions and giving a little bit of background.

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Deyal, their referee. James and Lyle shook hands, sneering at each other. "Mount your brooms!" she said. Fourteen people swung their legs over their brooms. The shrill whistle blew –

"AND THEY'RE OFF!" Christina cried into the magical microphone. "It's Gryffindor in possession. Prewett with the Quaffle – oh great pass to Potter!"

James caught the Quaffle, and ducked under Sirius, who was speeding towards a Bludger. He swerved around the Slytherin Keeper, and threw the Quaffle to John. He caught it, and –

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" yelled Christina. A great roar went up around the stadium.

"Go Gryffindor!" Lily and Remus applauded the team. Peter was sitting with his eyes covered.

"You can look now," Remus prodded Peter. He peeked through his fingers.

"Who scored?"

"Gryffindor did!" Lily said exasperatedly.

The match went on like this, Peter not watching, and Lily and Remus cheering wildly. Gryffindor was winning. They were winning by 100 points. Slytherin had only scored two goals in the entire time they'd been playing.

In their frustration, one of their Beaters whacked a Bludger towards James when he was hovering on the spot, cheering May, who'd just made a terrific save. It collided with his head with a sickening crunch.

Lily gasped, and stood carefully from her seat. She went as fast as she could down to the pitch with Remus, where James had fallen off his broom. Dumbledore was already tending to him, and Madam Deyal was hollering at the Slytherin Beater. James was unconscious.

"Professor!" Lily called, hurrying over, "Is he ok?"

"He'll be fine," Dumbledore frowned, "I just have to get him to wake up. _Enervate!_"

James sat up; clutching his head and Lily gave a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" he moaned.

"That –" Lily began a steady stream of foul words for the Slytherin Beater –"knocked you off your broom with a Bludger to your head!" she was furious.

"Oh man," James grabbed his head again, where a large lump was forming. Dumbledore flicked his wand, and the lump receded. "Thanks!" James said, hopping to his feet. His headache was gone, and he felt fine again.

"Off you go," Dumbledore shooed Remus and Lily away. They hurried back into the stands, and arrived just in time to see James score his penalty shot. The entire stadium cheered, and it was enough to drown out the boos of the Slytherins.

Just as James put the Quaffle past the keeper, Leala went into a spectacular dive. Lyle Flint saw, and streaked after her. "I reckon Benan has seen the Snitch!" she called. Leala easily beat Flint to the Snitch, and pulled out of her dive.

The stadium erupted. The Gryffindor team landed, hugging each other. The girls were crying with happiness, and Sirius and James were yelling at the top of their lungs, "WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!" with, "WE BEAT THE FILTHY SLYTHERINS AGAIN!" tossed in there every once and awhile. Gryffindors poured out onto the pitch, and hoisted their Quidditch heroes high into the air. Lily beamed up at her friends, and Remus joined in with the cheering.

That night, the Gryffindors partied until two in the morning. Even Lily stayed up with them, exhausted as she was. McGonagall had come in at midnight to tell them to go to bed. They ignored her, and didn't stop partying loudly until Dumbledore came in to tell them that they had classes the next morning, and that anyone caught sleeping in would have to serve detention. The Gryffindors scattered into their respective common rooms.

* * *

With the Quidditch Cup won, the reality of exams coming the following Monday loomed dark and smelly over the heads of the 5th and 7th years. This weighing heavy on Lily's mind, she tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep. 

_This really _was_ the last chapter before I go on holidays. I promise I'll post chapter 11 on the night of the 25th, right after I get home. Hope you liked! Maybelline_


	11. NEWTs

**emily **_thanx for reviewing. I did have a good time on vacation! Lots of shopping!_

**Zippy-Wings**_, I hope you get your hot weather soon. It is rather nice once you get used to it.

* * *

_

"You may begin," Professor McGonagall said, her stern voice echoing throughout the hall. The 7th years immediately bowed their heads over their papers, and got started on The Theory of Transfiguration NEWT exam. This was their last exam, and so far, twelve 7th years had cracked under the intense pressure. Peter Pettigrew was one of them. He'd only made it half way through the exam of the day before – the Potions exam – when he went into hysterics, blubbering about how he'd never learnt anything.

Other students understood what Peter was going through, as several other students from various houses had cracked as well, and laughter did not ring through the hall that day. James, in fact, looked worried.

"If he can crack, so can any of us," he'd said afterwards.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius said. "Lily and Remus have drilled everything so far into our brains that I can feel it pressing on my eyeballs! Besides, Wormtail's always been like that. Remember he had to retake his Potions OWL?"

"True enough," James said, but he didn't look completely convinced.

Now, sitting in front of Lily, Peter was shaking with fear. He'd recovered enough to do the exam. Lily looked at the first question ('State three common wand pattern mistakes made when performing Human Transformation'), and instantly got to work. She knew these by heart; she'd watch Peter make them all.

* * *

Finally exams were over. The Marauders spent time on the grounds; playing Quidditch, casting spells on each other, pulling pranks. They came up with a fantastic prank for the last day of school. It was Lily's job to put it into action.

At breakfast on the last day of school, Lily looked around to be sure that the Slytherin table was full. She waited until she saw that Severus was sitting at the Slytherin table, and she flicked her wand under the table at him. Frank Longbottom got in the way of her spell, and his hair turned bright pink. "Crap," she muttered, flicking her wand again. She hit Snape this time. His greasy black hair turned a brilliant shade of hot pink. A roar of laughter went up around the great hall as they noticed Severus and Frank's new hair colour.

At Lily's signal – Severus'pink hair– in bursts of 5 and 6, the Slytherin table slowly became a sea of pink atop green trimmed robes. The hall laughed even harder. Eventually, even some of the staff members were laughing. Lily looked up to see a twinkle in Dumbledore's eye, and his moustache twitching. He then stood up, and the laughter stopped abruptly. One wave of Dumbledore's wand and the Slytherin table, along with Frank, returned to their natural hair colour. One of the Slytherin girls had her friends all laugh at her; her hair was naturally bright red. She'd simply dyed it brown to hide what she thought as her hideous hair colour.

"Really," Lily muttered to Leala, fingering her own red locks, "What's wrong with red hair?"

Naturally, no one could figure out who had executed the prank. Dumbledore alone figured it out, and he stared down at the Gryffindor table, an almost unrecognizable twinkle in his eye. James saw it. Lily saw it. They knew Dumbledore didn't really care. But they'd probably be disciplined if any of the other teachers ever found out. Mind you, they were of age now, and this WAS the last day of school. If they could avoid teachers on this free day…

"So what are we going to do, my dear friends?" Sirius asked as the group exited the Great Hall. People were milling around the Entrance Hall, and Peter got stepped on a few times as he hurried along behind his friends. No one seemed to care he was there.

"Quidditch!" James said happily, dropping Lily's hand to punch the air. Lily groaned.  
"Sounds like a plan," Sirius said. Rather reluctantly, Lily and Remus tailed the group that consisted of the animated James, Leala and Sirius trio, and Peter. Lily shook her head at the adoring look that Peter had on his face.

"That can't be healthy, looking up to someone THAT much," Lily said quietly to Remus.

"They don't seem to mind though, do they?" Remus mused, twirling his wand in his fingers. It was emitting pink sparks. Lily glanced between him and Leala's back, and realized with an amused expression what the pink sparks were all about.

"So do you and Leala have any plans?" she asked the distracted Remus.

He shook his head, bringing himself back to reality, "What? Oh, well, not really. We're just going to take it slow. We're not like you two;" he nodded towards James, "Getting married right out of school." They shared a chuckle.

Before Lily could say anything, James had run back to them with his broom over his shoulder. "Lily," he gasped breathlessly, "when was the last time you rode a broom?" he asked.

She thought about it. There was the time in 1st year when she'd stooped and picked up her broom when it didn't respond to her desperate cries of up. Then in her 3rd year, Leala begged Lily to try out for the team with her. Lily had fallen off the broom and broken her wrist. That was the last time she flew.

"3rd year."

"Well, come on, you're going to fly again now," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her off towards the pitch. Ignoring Lily's protests, he stuck the broom between her legs, and mounted it behind her. Carefully wrapping one hand above her swollen stomach, he kicked of gently. She squealed, and grasped the broom desperately, even though they were barely hovering above the ground.

"Relax," James whispered in her ear.

"_I can't_!" she hissed. She peeked out one eye, and found that her toes were scarcely an inch off the ground. "Oh," she said, embarrassed. James urged his broom forwards slowly. The gentle wind tossed Lily's hair, and it got caught in James' mouth. He spluttered, and stopped the broom abruptly, nearly catapulting Lily off it head first.

"Good job, Prongs!" Sirius soared overhead, "Are you trying to kill your girlfriend?"

James scowled at his friend. Lily's heart was in her throat after that terrifying halt. "Do you want to try again?"

Against her better judgement, Lily nodded. She wanted to do this for James. She loved him, and wanted to like what he liked. Well, to a point; if it got too crazy, well… she could at least say she tried.

Once more, James pushed gently off the ground. She shut her eyes tight, and felt the broom rising gently through the air. "Open your eyes," James whispered in her ear.

Lily gasped. They were way up in the air, and the air was gently tossing her hair around and tenderly caressing her face. Big, fluffy clouds dotted the horizon and added depth to the infinite blue. She looked down, and grabbed the broom handle tightly. It was so far away!

"It's ok," James' voice whispered in her ear. Remus flew past them on a Silver Arrow; an old school broom. He was easily outstripped by Sirius on his top of the line Nimbus 1000. Wobbling slightly – he was not a very good flier – he pulled the broom around to fly alongside Lily and James.

"How do you like it?" he asked the white-knuckled Lily. Her palms were beginning to hurt from gripping the broom handle so hard.

"It's all right;" she said honestly, "the view is gorgeous though. I don't think I'm ever going to be a famous Quidditch player though. The height is a little too much for me."

"Do you want to go down?" James asked her as they turned slowly around the goalposts.

"Yeah, sure," Lily said, relaxing her grip slightly.

Remus followed them as James brought his Comet 240 into a shallow dive. Lily sat down thankfully on the ground. "I definitely prefer driving," Lily said faintly.

"This great sport is not for everyone!" James saluted the passing Sirius and rose to join him, leaving Remus and Lily on the ground. This was not unusual.

Sirius and James were performing great acrobatics. Peter clumsily tried to copy the pair, but just couldn't keep up. He finally gave up and hovered near one end of the stadium, watching them with a rapt expression.

"One of these days…" Remus said to Lily, shaking his head at Peter's pathetic antics.

As the group returned to the castle for dinner, they met Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall, along with the other heads of houses. She had a thick stack of envelopes in her hand. As she saw the approaching Gryffindors, she rifled through the stack and separated six envelopes. Curious, they strode up to her.

"Here," McGonagall said, distributing the envelopes. A hint of a smile played on her severe face. Their names were printed on them in emerald green ink. Lily's hand trembled as she opened the envelope.

"Are these…?"

"Yes, those are your NEWT results. We use a magical marking system especially for NEWTs, and are able to distribute them to you before you leave the school."

Lily skimmed her results – which was quite difficult, I will say, as her hands were trembling frightfully – and let out a squeal of joy. She'd received Outstanding placements in every exam.

"Lemme see!" James said, swapping papers with Lily. His jaw dropped in shock at all of her NEWTs. She glanced over his; Outstanding and Exceeds Expectations placements in everything except History of Magic. He'd fallen asleep halfway through the exam, and received a Dreadful placement in it. Sirius was roaring with laughter at this; he was peering over Lily's shoulder.

Everyone was pleased with their results. Everyone, that is, except Peter. Poor Pettigrew was biting his dirty nails, and slouching over his letter. "Accio letter!" James pointed his wand at Peter's letter, and it flew into his hand. Not one O was present on the paper. A few Acceptables and one Exceeds Expectations, along with several Poors graced his parchment. Potions had earned him a Troll standing. A shocked look passed over the faces of his friends, and he grabbed his paper from James' hand, running up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room.

"Oops," James said, scuffing his toe on the floor. McGonagall had turned her back on the unfortunate situation.

"Professor," Remus ignored James, "will Peter have to repeat a year at Hogwarts?"

"No, he won't," she said sadly. "He has the option to retake the exams in a few weeks time. A percentage will be taken off for the retake, but other than that… I trust that you will help him." She looked pointedly at James. James went red.

The group headed off to prepare for the Leaving Feast. This was the end of their Hogwarts years. The dressed in their finest robes; dress robes of every colour. In the boys' dormitory, James, Sirius and Remus made a special effort to make Peter look good, despite the enormity of the task. They still felt bad about his NEWT results.

"Another year has passed!" Dumbledore stood, making his year end speech. I trust that you are all thankful that exams are over. Congratulations to our 7th years, who have done exceptionally well. You have achieved the highest average scoring in 115 years!"

A great applause and foot stamping greeted this, and Dumbledore smiled down at his students. "I pray that you have an excellent summer, and that all of you return next year," he paused, "With the exception of our 7th years; I hope none of you return!" he smiled. Scattered laughing ensued.

"Jeez, I hope he hurries up. I'm starved!" Leala prodded Lily. They talked in whispers for the rest of Dumbledore's speech. Lily felt like rebelling, and this was her last ditch effort.

"And finally, it is time to award the House Cup!" Dumbledore said loudly, and all whispered conversations came to an abrupt halt. "This year, the House Cup goes to Gryffindor, with 473 points!" he flicked his wand, and scarlet and gold hangings adorned the hall. Applause and screaming came to a deafening din. Gryffindors all up and down the hall were hugging and yelling happily. James grabbed Lily and kissed her full on the lips. Beside them, Remus and Leala were doing the same, although slightly more enthusiastically. Ok, more than slightly enthusiastically.

Sirius grabbed the nearest girl – who happened to be Amy Cottell, a fellow 7th year – and followed suit. He kissed her before really looking at who it was. When they broke apart, Sirius looked happy, and then he blushed. Amy went beet red, but looked rather pleased with herself. After all, she had just landed the hottest guy in their year!

The feast was excellent, as usual. Full and happy, the students packed their trunks before crawling into bed; the 7th years dreading the next day when they would be leaving forever.

_Sorry that took me so long! I meant to have it up 2 days ago, but I got a little bit sidetracked with another idea for a fanfic. I'll have the new one up before long, so please look for it. Anyways, I hope you liked this chappie, as it is the last. Although I am considering writing a sequel… please press the little purple button! It all depends on you. _

_Maybelline_


	12. Authors Note and a Little Scene

_Alright, posting just an authors note goes against the rules, so I'll add a little scene here for you. For those of you who would like to know, the sequel is going to be called Forgotten Prophecy. You will be able to find it in my profile, so check it soon! _:)

* * *

"Lily! Oh, Lily, guess what!" James yelled as he dashed up the stairs to tell Lily his good news. 

"Did you get in?" she asked him excitedly, hauling herself to her feet, one hand on her huge stomach.

"I got in! They said I had just the right aptitude to be an Auror!" he was so excited.

"That's great! Wow, at least one of us will have a job," she added as an afterthought.

"What do you mean, Lil? Of course you have a job. It's here, taking care of our baby."

"Yeah, but it's not the same," she sighed. "I want to be out there _doing _something, what with Voldemort rising in power."

They'd had this conversation many times before, and it always ended in the same way, with Lily feeling useless.

"I have good news though," James said, "Apparently, the Ministry got your name from one of the NEWTs examiners. They said you have the right aptitude for being an Auror. Your name was on the list. Above mine," he added, knowing that this little tidbit that he'd wanted to keep to himself was going to make her feel better. "So, after the baby's born, you can go and see if they'll take you a little bit late. I'll keep you up to date on all the theory and stuff when it starts next week."

Her mood was considerably lightened. "So we can both be Aurors!" she smiled, and then winced at a kick from her bulging belly. 'I _can_ protect my family,' she thought to herself.

* * *

_That's all for now folks! And if you followed this story properly, you would know that Lily isn't due until October, and Harry's birthday is in July…just a littehint for the sequel. _

_Happy Reading!  
Maybelline_


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